Lelia Byron

BIO

Lelia Byron has a Bachelor’s of Fine Art from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master’s in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Arts (University of the Arts London). Originally from New York City, Lelia is currently based in Madison, WI.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I am an interdisciplinary artist who makes paintings, murals, installations, sculptures, and public art projects. My projects often include an investigative component and frequently begin with interviewing diverse groups of people around different topics related to human rights, environmental rights, the complexity of communication between individuals, and the creative process. Whether these individuals are lace makers in Rauma, Finland, factory workers fighting for labor rights in New Bedford, MA, women coffee growers in Huila, Colombia, who are leading others in entrepreneurship roles, or residents in rural Portugal interested in learning about plastic and DIY recycling, I seek to create bridges with others and explore ways to integrate people into the creative process. Then I think about ways to translate these interviews and stories into visual narratives which can reach others, in this way creating an overarching approach to a topic through a creative or unexpected method that can bring together the local and the global. My most recent project, "No Such Thing As Strangers," is currently on view at the Springfield Museum of Art (Ohio) until January 2024.

Interview with Lelia Byron

Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you became interested in becoming an artist?

I had very creative parents growing up. My dad was a NYC public school art teacher, and I remember one day he came home from school with a big roll of paper and asked if I’d like to paint a mural with him. My dad made sets with his students for school performances, but they needed a last-minute background for a performance that would happen the next day, and there was no time to make it in his class. I remember very vividly painting this huge sheet of paper in my pajamas, and the school thanked me by name in the program. I was around 9 years old. My dad didn’t do any lessons with us like he did in his classroom, and for him, making art at home was all about imagination and fun. I actually didn’t know I wanted to be a professional artist until high school.

I went to a big public high school that at the time didn’t offer any art classes, but there were a bunch of free afterschool or summer outreach programs at art museums and nonprofits for NYC public school students, and one summer I participated in one out of curiosity. It was really exciting. Not only did we learn about making art, but there were also such interesting trips because the program was through a big museum. We went to see the artist Swoon’s studio and saw her wheatpaste one of her prints on the street. We also went to a big-name art fabrication studio, which was a big contrast to our trip to Swoon’s studio. I remember being surprised to learn that not all artists physically make their own work but rather send concept sketches to the fabricators. I remember seeing about four or five young adults working on a Chuck Close sculpture by tediously gluing thousands of 1-inch square pieces of paper to a giant cube. Seeing these two spaces really made an impression because it was the first time I really saw professional artist careers in action and realized that could be a possibility. I continued to participate in these free summer programs at different nonprofit art institutions until I graduated. It's sad to see how arts and other subjects are often not offered in schools; education that goes beyond standardized testing has a deep impact on students.

Can you tell us about some of your most memorable early influences?

In college, there was a lot of influence from faculty for students to make a very specific type of art. We were required to learn so many different skills, from welding to digital arts to anatomy drawing, etc., but there was also a lot of pressure to discourage students from incorporating the making process into their own projects and to instead create artwork that continued in the tradition of 1960s-1970s conceptualism. I saw this binary struggle as unnecessary, as I believe artists can make work that is both conceptually rigorous with meaningful content and includes a making process.

There was this very interesting elective called Documentary Storytelling, which was an electronic art class about thinking of different ways to tell nonfiction stories. Rich Pell, who taught the class, showed us so many unusual art and storytelling projects, including his own film about a man who spent decades on the streets of Pittsburgh protesting government mind control and mail censorship, eventually obtaining a copy of his FBI file of over 400 pages. Taking this class, just like that, a spark was lit, and I had this realization that I could combine my passion for making art with storytelling in a meaningful way. With my partner, who was a math student at the time, we ended up creating a short multimedia book following this idea of telling a real story in a creative way. Coming full circle, for a class project, I also interviewed my dad on the phone about some of his favorite Queens memories and about him having grown up and working in the same neighborhood. My dad passed away in 2023, and having done this project together is now even more meaningful.

What is your studio space like? What makes your space unique to you?

My studio is a shifting space that depends on what I am working on. My studio space could be a small room in an apartment, the top of a lift or scaffolding, a rural town’s metal repair workshop, a fully equipped artist residency workshop, the back of a jeep moving between coffee farms, or school classrooms. When we move my work across states, even the rental truck I drive becomes a moveable studio. My partner and I are currently in the process of creating a studio space that I will be able to use for my next few projects, and so much sweat and tears have gone into it so far!


What is a typical day like? If you don't have a typical day, what is an ideal day? Do you work in large chunks of time or throughout the day?

I like to listen to music, audiobooks, podcasts, and old TV shows when I work. Sometimes I even listen to two things at the same time. When I listen to WFUV radio it reminds me of home, no matter where I am working. I also read books in preparation for what I am working on. I am currently working on an upcoming exhibition related to AI, and it's interesting to see how writers approach this topic with such creativity and philosophical depth. Some of my recent reads include The Verifiers by Jane Pek, The Alignment Problem by Brian Christian, and Wrong Way by Joanne McNeil. I would describe my artwork as labor-intensive, and I spend most of my professional time working on projects. I start working in the morning and keep going until dinner time, and usually I take a tea break around 3 or 4 PM. Sometimes I can go back to work after dinner if I have an upcoming deadline. I spend both long periods of time where I am constantly interacting with other people, for example, when I am working on a mural, and also long periods of time where I am working by myself.

In addition to the actual making process, a lot of logistical details go into each project. In doing so, I often find that I can learn so much in a behind-the-scenes way. I remember working on a project where I needed to source large amounts of used plastic film (the type used for plastic bags). I called all of the recycling facilities within a 6-hour drive, but I discovered that while they were receiving this material, no one was keeping it because there were no buyers for that specific type of plastic. I ended up eventually getting non-medical packaging plastic that a hospital usually paid to have removed. It was compacted down into a cube, and when I opened it up, the plastic exploded everywhere, filling the entire studio space, and I had to wade through my studio with plastic up to my waist.

Can you walk us through your overall process in making your current work? Does drawing play a role in your process? What is exciting about your process currently?

When I start a project, I spend a lot of time developing the project idea by researching and sketching. I do draw many things, but not in the sense of pencil and paper. For me, a paintbrush, or even a marker, feels like an extension of my whole self, where a pencil is not natural. I design simple models and test ideas. I may interview people or have to source materials. Usually everything in a project is custom-made in my studio. For example, I am currently making a painting that is 20 x 9 feet. The canvas is one continuous piece of fabric, but the stretchers can be collapsed for storage and transportation. The final stages of any project include the making process, sharing the work (although public engagement happens throughout the entire project), and time spent writing text and making catalogs.

Can you talk about some of the ongoing interests, imagery, and concepts that have informed your process and body of work over time? How do you anticipate your work progressing in the future?

I am interested in different topics related to human rights, the creative process, and the complexity of communication and connection between individuals. My projects often include an investigative component and frequently begin with interviewing individuals from diverse groups of people around different topics. Some past work includes a series of murals in Rauma, Finland, using lace-making as a metaphor for language and connection, a series of paintings about women coffee farmers in Colombia, outdoor sculptures in rural Portugal made from recycled plastic, and a series of paintings about workers in Massachusetts fighting for labor rights.

There are so many ideas I am excited about for the future—and not enough time! I want to keep making work and pushing myself to continue creating more and more ambitious projects that reach out to people. I want to travel, make work in different places, and continue to grow as an artist. One of the exciting things about being an artist is being able to always learn new things. Even now, I still like to take classes or learn new skills.

Can you elaborate on a recent work of yours and tell us the story of how it came to be?

Most recently, I have been exploring the topic of “home.” In 2022, I traveled to different people’s homes in Springfield, Ohio, and interviewed Springfield residents about the topic of “home.” Based on these interviews, I then made a series of paintings and a large outdoor sculpture that are currently on view as a solo exhibition, No Such Thing As Strangers, at the Springfield Museum of Art (Ohio). The paintings and sculpture delve into a wide range of topics, including memories, personal narratives, social issues such as the housing crisis, and how a city experiences change over time. The exhibition explores how individuals create and define the meaning of “home” in both a local sense and when considering the world as a broader, global place to live.

Images and detailed text about the work in the exhibition can be viewed in an online exhibition catalog.

Who are some contemporary artists you’re excited about? Is there a recent exhibition that stood out to you?

I think it is important to be out there supporting other artists and engaging with both art and the world. I recently saw an interesting exhibition at the Milwaukee Museum of Art by artist Darrel Ellis from the Bronx, who sadly passed away very young from AIDS-related complications. I also recently saw at the Baltimore Museum of Art exhibitions with work by Jackie Milad and Martha Jackson Jarvis that I thought was very interesting. I also like to look at a lot of work online and in books. Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about the artist Liu Xiaodong. There are so many interesting artists, and I am always trying to continue to learn about and discover new work.

What are you working on in the studio right now? What’s coming up next for you?

I am working on three upcoming projects for 2024, which I am very excited about. I am working on a project about artificial intelligence and humanity that will be on view at Rochester Institute of Technology in February and March of 2024. The exhibition will include my paintings and a collaborative installation made with Nicolás García Trillos, faculty in the Department of Statistics at UW Madison. In 2024, I will also be creating a permanent mural for a nonprofit that supports victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. And lastly, I will be creating a permanent outdoor sculpture for a new UW Health Hospital facility specializing in oncology and women’s complex care. This sculpture will be installed by the fall of 2024.

To find out more about Lelia Byron check out her website and Instagram.